Abroad101: Study Abroad Reviews

I love Dublin, but don't do IFSA January 10, 2022

By (Davidson College) - abroad from 09/02/2021 to 12/18/2021 with

IFSA: Dublin - Trinity College

What did you gain/learn from your experience abroad? Was it worthwhile?
Definitely worthwhile and I recommend everyone study abroad if possible!

Personal Information

How much international exposure did you have prior to this program? 2 weeks - 1 month

Review Your Program

* Overall educational experience

Academic rigor, intensity, resources, etc.

Trintiy College is somewhat rigorous

* Host Country Program Administration

On-site administration of your program

I wish I could give it 0 stars. IFSA was so poorly run. It's an absolute joke. They barely responded to emails before we arrived in Ireland, so I had no clue what to pack or who was in my program. When we did arrive, we learned that they had forgotten to pay Trinity College our school fees, so we could not sign up for our classes. This was literally their one job and they did it wrong. They also offered no support, canceled all cultural trips (except for a $15 tour of the city halfway through the program), and gave little guidance for how to stay safe in the city.

* Housing:

How satisfied were you with your living arrangements?

We lived in Highlight apartments, about 25 minutes from campus. It was fine, but IFSA did not check us in, so we showed up at 5am after our flight and did not have a room assigned to us...

* Food:

cooked my own food, but groceries are super cheap

* Social & Cultural Integration:

How integrated did you feel with the local culture?

I loved Ireland and meeting locals! easy to integrate and such a fun environment

* Health Care:

How well were health issues addressed during the program?

IFSA was somewhat helpful with students who needed to set up appointments with a GP.

* Safety:

Ireland and Dublin are very safe. We did have one student in our program who was robbed outside our apartment. After she was robbed IFSA emailed us to tell us to avoid our street/apartment complex because a student was robbed there. very unhelpful. However, I never felt unsafe in my 4 months

If you could do it all over again would you choose the same program? No

IFSA is incredibly poorly organized. I had to really learn how to do everything myself, from figuring out the fees situation when IFSA forgot to pay our fees, learning how to navigate the city since IFSA did not provide us with any suggestions or training, and figuring out what to do when an apartment-mate had COVID since IFSA did not inform us or provide us with any support. I loved Dublin and I loved Trinity, but IFSA detracted from my experience.

Finances

* Money: How easily were you able to live on a student's budget?

(1 = not very easy/$200+ on food & personal expenses/week, 2.5 = $100/week, 5 = very easily/minimal cost)

Ireland is as expensive as the average American city. It is definitely more expensive than eastern Europe, but manageable. Ex. groceries in Ireland are around $20/week, which is awesome, but drinks are all a minimum of $7.50 for a beer or $15 for a cocktail.

Not including program expenses, about how much money did you spend on food and other expenses each week? $300-400
Do you have any general money-saving tips for future study abroad participants? Buy groceries from Lidl or Aldi's, limit eating out, and buy Ryan Air flights.

Language

* Did your program have a foreign language component? No

Other Program Information

* Where did you live?

Select all that apply

  • Apartment
* Who did you live with?

Select all that apply

  • Americans
* Who did you take classes with?

Select all that apply

  • Local Students
  • Americans
  • International Students
About how many local friends did you make that you will likely keep in touch with?

A Look Back

* What did you like most about the program?
  • super unorganized
  • unhelpful
  • unprepared
* What could be improved?
  • they are so poorly run
  • I could do it better than them
  • new staff
* What do you know now that you wish you knew before going on this program? I wish I knew that it was an option to study at Trinity without IFSA, because I would definitely choose that option

Reasons For Studying Abroad

To help future students find programs attended by like-minded individuals, please choose the profile that most closely represents you.
The Outright Urbanite
A social butterfly, you're happiest in bustling cities with hip people, and took advantage of all it had to offer. You enjoyed the nightlife, and had fun going out dancing, and socializing with friends. Fun-loving and dressed to the nines, you enjoyed discovering new restaurants, shops, cafes, and bars in your host country.